MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs of ∼ 22 nucleotides that are involved in negative regulation of mRNA at the post-transcriptional level. Previously, we developed miRTarBase which provides information about experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions (MTIs). Here, we describe an updated database containing 422 517 curated MTIs from 4076 miRNAs and 23 054 target genes collected from over 8500 articles. The number of MTIs curated by strong evidence has increased ∼1.4-fold since the last update in 2016. In this updated version, target sites validated by reporter assay that are available in the literature can be downloaded. The target site sequence can extract new features for analysis via a machine learning approach which can help to evaluate the performance of miRNA-target prediction tools. Furthermore, different ways of browsing enhance user browsing specific MTIs. With these improvements, miRTarBase serves as more comprehensively annotated, experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions databases in the field of miRNA related research. miRTarBase is available at http://miRTarBase.mbc.nctu.edu.tw/.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides, which negatively regulate the gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. This study describes an update of the miRTarBase (http://miRTarBase.mbc.nctu.edu.tw/) that provides information about experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions (MTIs). The latest update of the miRTarBase expanded it to identify systematically Argonaute-miRNA-RNA interactions from 138 crosslinking and immunoprecipitation sequencing (CLIP-seq) data sets that were generated by 21 independent studies. The database contains 4966 articles, 7439 strongly validated MTIs (using reporter assays or western blots) and 348 007 MTIs from CLIP-seq. The number of MTIs in the miRTarBase has increased around 7-fold since the 2014 miRTarBase update. The miRNA and gene expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) are integrated to provide an effective overview of this exponential growth in the miRNA experimental data. These improvements make the miRTarBase one of the more comprehensively annotated, experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions databases and motivate additional miRNA research efforts.

A total of 209 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas (193 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 10 P. putida, 4 P. stutzeri, and 2 P. fluorescens isolates) with reduced susceptibilities to imipenem and/or ceftazidime were subjected to PCR assays with primers specific for bla IMP-1 , bla IMP-2 , bla VIM-1 , and bla VIM-2 and sequence analysis to identify the metallo-␤-lactamases (MBLs) prevalent among these organisms in Taiwan; and 21 isolates gave positive results. Five isolates including two P. putida and three P. stutzeri isolates were found to carry bla IMP-1 , and six isolates including five P. putida and one P. stutzeri isolates harbored bla VIM-2 . The remaining 10 isolates were P. aeruginosa, and all were found to carry a novel variant of bla VIM-2 , designated bla VIM-3 . There are only two nucleotide differences between bla VIM-2 and bla VIM-3 , leading to two amino acid alterations. Our findings indicate that VIM-2 and its variant have become the most prevalent metalloenzymes in Pseudomonas in Taiwan. Southern hybridization with the bla VIM-2 -, bla VIM-3 -, and bla IMP-1 -specific probes revealed that only two VIM-2-producing P. putida isolates appeared to carry the MBL gene on plasmids. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that six VIM-3-producing P. aeruginosa isolates and two IMP-1-producing P. stutzeri isolates were genetically related, suggesting that the spread of these MBL genes in Taiwan could be due to clonal dissemination as well as genetic exchange between different clones.Carbapenems are often used as antibiotics of last resort for the treatment of infections caused by gram-negative bacteria resistant to other ␤-lactam agents because of their broad spectra of activity and stability to hydrolysis by most ␤-lactamases including extended-spectrum ␤-lactamases (4,12,26,27). The mechanisms of resistance to carbapenems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa often result from reduced levels of drug accumulation or increased levels of expression of pump efflux (8,15,17). The resistance is occasionally due to production of metallo-␤-lactamases (MBLs), which can be either chromosomally encoded or plasmid mediated (8,13,22,28,32). IMP-1 was the first MBL identified in P. aeruginosa (28,29). The enzyme has also been described in other nonfastidious, gram-negative nonfermenters and members of the family Enterobacteriaceae (9,10,20,29). Several novel MBLs were identified recently, including VIM-1 from P. aeruginosa and IMP-2 from Acinetobacter baumannii in Italy (13, 25), VIM-2 from P. aeruginosa in France (22), and IMP-3 from Shigella flexneri in Japan (11). The spread of MBLs in gram-negative rods has been described in several other countries and is becoming an emerging threat , abstr. 2003, p. 123, 2000). It remains unknown whether these MBLs have appeared in Taiwan. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to determine the IMP-and VIM-type MBLs prevalent among clinical isolates of the genus Pseudomonas in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODSBacterial strains. The isolates studied were selected from clinical isolates of Pseudomonas ...

Go for gold: As‐prepared insulin–Au nanoclusters (NCs) show intense red fluorescence, excellent biocompatibility, and preservation of natural insulin bioactivity in lowering the blood‐glucose level. Their versatility in applications is demonstrated by fluorescence imaging, X‐ray computed tomography, and insulin–inhibitor interactions (see picture; IDE=insulin‐degrading enzyme).

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